You called Your servant James to be the first of Your shepherds of the
Church in Jerusalem and he answered Your call by his faithful service and by
offering his life for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Give each of us,
Lord, the courage and the fortitude of Your servant James, that we too may
serve You in obedient faith and daily lay down our lives in sacrifice for the
sake of Your Kingdom. Send to us Lord, Your Holy Spirit to guide us in our
study of the life of James the Just, Bishop of Jerusalem. We pray in the name
of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

+ + +

"Though the office of the priesthood is exercised on
earth, it ranks, nevertheless, in the celestial order of things, and rightly
so. It was neither man nor an angel nor an archangel nor any other created
power, but the Paraclete himself who established this ministry, and who
ordained that men abiding in the flesh should imitate the ministry of angels." St. John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood 3.4

James the Just, kinsman of Jesus, stepped onto the
stage of Salvation History at a crucial time in the growth of the New Covenant
people of God. It was essential that the leader of the mother church in Jerusalem be a man who would command the respect of Old Covenant Jews with his piety and
knowledge of the Law of Moses. If James was indeed a lifetime Nazirite who
wore the robes of a Levitical priest and serve God in the Temple as he is
described by the Jewish-Christian historian Hegesippus, he would have had the
required credentials to elicit the kind of respect that would be necessary. It
is obvious from the titles given him by Jews and Christians alike, James the
Just or the Righteous, (Zaddik),and, "Protection" /"Bulwark"/
"Fortress" of the people (Oblias), that James, Bishop of Jerusalem was
both revered and loved. What better man to help swell the ranks of Jewish New
Covenant believers so that the prophesized "faithful remnant" of Israel could
fulfill the destiny Yahweh had given the holy covenant people of the 12 tribes
of Israel, to bring the lost Gentile nations of the Tower of Babel back into
Yahweh's covenant family, reborn as sons and daughters through water and the
Spirit.

"I want you to be quite certain, brothers, of this
mystery, to save you from congratulating yourselves on your own good sense:
part of Israel had its mind hardened, but only until the Gentiles have wholly
come in; and this is how all Israel will be saved." Romans 11:25-26a

ADDRESS AND GREETING

James 1:1: "From James, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Greetings to the twelve tribes of the Dispersion."

James' Hebrew name and his greeting would have a significant symbolic
impact on the Jews listening to him.

Question: James
Bishop of Jerusalem shared the same name as what Old Testament Patriarch? What
was that man's destiny?

Answer: His
Hebrew name is Ya'akov (Ya'akob), which in our English Bibles is translated as
"Jacob." Jacob in the Old Testament was the son of Isaac and the grandson of
Abraham. The covenant God formed with Abraham continued through his son Isaac
and was reestablished in his grandson Jacob who God renamed "Israel", "struggles with God." Jacob/Israel was the father of 12 sons who would become the 12
physical fathers of the 12 tribes that would form the nation of Israel, the name which would be born by the nation created to be God's holy covenant people and the Old Covenant Church.

Biblical scholars have long noted the parallels between Old Testament
and New Testament servants of God. For example there are similarities between
the lives of King Saul in the Book of 1 Samuel and the apostle Saul of Tarsus.
Both men shared the same name, both were members of the tribe of Benjamin, both
men experienced conversion experiences traveling down a road, and both had
persecuted God's anointed. King Saul persecuted God's anointed David and Saul
of Tarsus persecuted David's heir the Messiah [anointed one] Jesus of Nazareth
by persecuting His Church: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me"Acts
9:4.

Comparisons have also been made between Joseph of the Old Testament and
Joseph the foster father of Jesus. Both men shared the same name, both men
received prophetic dreams, both men went into Egypt, both men practiced
chastity and moral purity, and both men fulfilled a role in salvation history
in the establishment of the people of God that was realized after their deaths.

Question: In
addition to a shared name what other parallels can you see between the life of
the Patriarch Ya'akov/Jacob and the life of the Bishop James?

Answer:

Typology of Ya'akov/Jacob son of Isaac and
Ya'akov/James kinsman of Jesus

OLD TESTAMENT JACOB

NEW TESTAMENT JACOB

His name, according to Genesis 25:26 means "he will
trip by the heel." His name was prophetically fulfilled when he supplanted
his elder brother in receiving the birthright promises and covenant
blessings.

Bearing the same name, James/ Ya'akov supplanted his
"brother" [in terms of kinship] when as the New Covenant Bishop of Jerusalem his authority made null and void the authority of the Old Covenant Jerusalem High
Priest over the people of God. His "brothers" in the Old Covenant received
temporal blessings but James' New Covenant blessings were eternal.

This man God renamed "Israel" received a vision of
God that transformed his life

This "son" of Israel received a vision of the risen
Christ that transformed his life

He became the "father" of the 12 tribes known as the
Israelites who formed the Old Covenant Church that would be established in Jerusalem.

He became the "father" of the Israelites who were
the "faithful remnant" of the 12 tribes who formed the New Covenant Church in Jerusalem.

He steadfastly stood against opposition from his
brother Esau, put his faith in the promises of God, and established his family
in the holy land God had promised him and his descendants.

He steadfastly stood against opposition from his
Jewish "brothers"/kinsmen, put his faith in God and faithfully shepherded the
New Covenant people of the family of God that had been entrusted to him so
that they might one day come to the true Promise Land of heaven.

If this letter is a homily St. James delivered in Jerusalem one wonders
what occasion might have led James to open his address with such a greeting: "From
James, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Greetings to the twelve
tribes of the Dispersion." According to the Law of Moses 3 of the 7 annual
holy days of obligation: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Pentecost,
and the Feast of Tabernacles were deemed to be "pilgrim feasts" in which every
man of the Old Sinai Covenant 13 years or older must present himself before
Yahweh at the Tabernacle/Temple in Jerusalem [see Exodus 23:14-17; 34:18-24;
Deuteronomy 16:1-16; Chart: The Seven Sacred Feasts of the Old Covenant].
When celebrating these pilgrim feasts Jews from all over the Greco-Roman world,
which the Jews called the Diaspora, came to the holy city of Jerusalem.
Normally 1st century Jerusalem boasted about 100,000 citizens but
during these feasts the numbers would swell to over 2 million [see Josephus, The
Jewish Wars, 6.9.3(424-425)].

Question: Read about the descent of the Holy Spirit
upon the disciples in the Upper Room during the Jewish pilgrim feast of
Pentecost [Shavuot or Feast of Weeks] in Acts 2:5-13. How many different
regions of the Diaspora are mentioned? Consult a map of the 1st
century Roman Empire and identify the different regions.

Answer: Acts chapter 2 names 15 different regions:
there were Parthians [beyond the Euphrates which marked the border of the Roman
Empire], Medes and Elamites [region of Persia/Iran and the Persian Gulf],
Mesopotamians [the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers], Judeans
[region of the holy land that was the old kingdom of Judea]. There were
travelers from Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of the Libyan coast near Cyrene. There were also pilgrims who were residents of Rome, both Jews and Gentile proselytes, as well as pilgrims from the island of Crete and Jews from Arabia. James may have used a pilgrim feast as an opportunity to address
Jews from the Gentile world who would return home to spread the Gospel of
salvation.

Question: Compare the greeting in St. James' letter
to the covenant people of the Diaspora to St. Peter's greeting to the universal
Church in 1 Peter 1: 1-2.

Answer: Peter identifies himself as "Apostle of Jesus
Christ", and he directs his letter to "all those living as aliens" in the
Dispersion of Asia Minor [modern Turkey]. By "aliens" Peter does not mean only
Jews or Israelites but all Christians whose true home is not this world but
whose home is instead the Promised Land of heaven [Philippians 3:20; Colossians 3:1-4; Hebrews 11:8-16; 13:14] and who must endure a temporary exile on earth
before being "called home". The Greek word for "exile" is paroikia, the
word from which our word "parish" comes [1 Peter 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8].

Answer: St. Paul writing of the new creation in
Christ in Galatians 6:16 proclaims: "Peace and mercy to all who follow this
as their rule and to the Israel of God." The Christian community is the
true Israel, the heir of the promises made to the prophets. The Old Covenant 12
Tribes of Israel prefigure the universal kingdom of Jesus Christ and the New
Covenant believers who inherit the kingdom through the sacrament of Baptism.
12 physical Israelite fathers, the sons of Jacob/Israel brought about the old
Israel and now 12 spiritual Israelite fathers, the 12 Apostles have spiritually
fathered the New Israel, the universal/catholic Church of Jesus Christ. The
Apostle John witnesses the redemption of the 12 Tribes as the New Israel, the
Universal Church sealed by the blood of the Lamb in Revelation 7:4-10: "And
I heard how many had been sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all
the tribes of Israel. [..]. After that I saw that there was a huge number,
impossible for anyone to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and
language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb,
dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted in a
loud voice, 'Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" Revelation
7:4-10

Question: But
would these men of the Diaspora [the world outside the Promised Land] be
Israelites or Jews or both? What is the difference? How does St. Peter
characterize these pilgrims in his homily in Acts 2:14-41? What is the
significance of the term "Israel" and what would the use of the phrase "12
tribes of Israel" invoke in those hearing James' address? When did "Israel" cease to exist [hint: see 2 Kings 17:5-9, 15-18, 20-23]? What Old Testament
prophet's unfulfilled prophecy might come to mind to the assembled Jews being
addressed as "Israelites" by a holy man named Ya'akov? See for example the
prophecies of Isaiah in chapter 41which begins the theme of "the servant" which
is more fully developed in the section of the Book of Isaiah known as "The
Servant's Song" in Isaiah chapters 42-55.

·Isaiah 41: 8-10: "But you,
Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham my friend,
whom I have taken to myself, from the remotest parts of the earth and summoned
from countries far away, to whom I have said, 'You are my servant, I have
chosen you, I have not rejected you, do not be afraid, for I am with you; do
not be alarmed, for I am you God."

·Isaiah 43:1: "And now, thus
says Yahweh, he who created you, Jacob, who formed you, Israel: Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine."

·44:1-2: "And now listen, Jacob
my servant, Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says Yahweh who made you, who formed
you in the womb; he will help you. Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, Jeshurun
whom I have chosen. For I shall pour out water on the thirsty soil and streams
on the dry ground." [note: "Jeshurun" or in Hebrew Yashurun, is a
poetic name for Israel found in Deuteronomy 32:15; 33:5, 26 and Ecclesiasticus 37:25. The Hebrew eto
ymology is uncertain but it may mean "loyal" [from yashar]
or "honest" or "righteous" as opposed to Ya'akov which means "he who
supplants."

·Isaiah 44:21-23: Remember these
things, Jacob, and Israel, since you are my servant. I formed you, you are my
servant; Israel, I shall not forget you. I have dispelled your acts of revolt
like a cloud and your sins like a mist. Come back to me, for I have redeemed
you. Heavens, shout for joy, for Yahweh has acted! Underworld, shout aloud!
Shout for joy, mountains, forests and all your trees! For Yahweh has redeemed
Jacob and displayed his glory in Israel."

·Isaiah 49:5-6: "And now Yahweh
has spoken, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to
him and to re-unite Israel to him;'I shall be honored in Yahweh's eyes, and my
God has been my strength. 'He said, 'It is not enough for you to be my
servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I shall make you a light to the nations so that my salvation may reach the remotest
parts of earth."

Answer: In
his great homily on Pentecost Sunday Simon-Peter addressed his kinsmen as "men
of Judea", "men of Israel", and as "brothers." But Israel as a unified nation
has ceased to exist since 930BC and as a separate Northern Kingdom since
722BC. The 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been disbursed into
the Gentile world by their Assyrian conquerors in 722AD. A few Israelites had
drifted back to the Galilee, the first area where the Assyrian exile had begun
in 732BC [see 2 Kings 15:29]. This is where Jesus began His restoration of Israel by centering his ministry in the Galilee and choosing the majority of His Apostles from among
the Israelite Galileans. Nevertheless, the majority of Old Covenant faithful
were Jews, members of the Southern Kingdom of Judah which was composed of the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin [see 1 Kings 12:20-24] and which had continued to
be ruled by Davidic kings until the exile to Babylon in 587/6BC. Isaiah
prophesied the destruction and dispersion of the Northern kingdom of Israel into the Gentile nations and he also prophesied the destruction of the Southern kingdom of Judah but promised a return and a restoration after the exile which lasted 70
years. In these passages Isaiah equated the name "Jacob" or James with Israel the chosen people. The restoration after the Babylonian exile did take place but it
was a very incomplete restoration with only a fraction of the tribes of Judah
and Benjamin returning to rebuilt Judah, Jerusalem and the Temple and an even
smaller faithful remnant returning to the Israelite territory of the Galilee. The vast majority of Jews [those of the Southern Kingdom of Judah] and Israelites
[those of the Northern Kingdom of Israel] never returned to the Holy Land. But now the Christian Bishop of Jerusalem, whose very name evokes the nation of
Israel, is greeting the Israelites scattered among the Gentile nations by
identifying himself as God's servant and the servant of Jesus the Messiah in
whom the complete restoration of the people of God has been promised by the
prophets like the great 6th century BC prophet of the Babylonian
exile Ezekiel:

·Ezekiel promised a full and
complete spiritual restoration of the people which up to the time of the 1st
century had not been fulfilled: Ezekiel 36:24: "For I shall take you from
among the nations and gather you back from all the countries, and bring you
home to your own country. I shall pour clean water over you and you will be
cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your filth and of all your false idols. I
shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the
heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall
put my spirit in you, and make you keep my laws, and respect and practice my
judgments."

·Ezekiel also promised a full and
complete physical restoration of the divided covenant people: Ezekiel 37:21-22,
25c-28:"The Lord Yahweh says this: I shall take the Israelites from the
nations where they have gone. I shall gather them together from everywhere and
bring them home to their own soil. I shall make them into one nation in the
country, on the mountains of Israel, and one king is to be king of them all;
they will no longer form two nations, nor be two separate kingdoms. [...].
David my servant is to be their prince for ever. I shall make a covenant of
peace with them, an eternal covenant with them. I shall resettle them and make
them grow; I shall set my sanctuary among them for ever. I shall make my home
above them; I shall be their God, and they will be my people. And the nations
will know that I am Yahweh the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary is with
them for ever."

St. Ya'akov's/ James' summons to
the Israelites that had been scattered into the Gentile nations would have
evoked the memory of these promises. They will be restored under the kingship
of Jesus the Messiah and His universal Kingdom of heaven on earth in which all
of Israel, even those lost Israelites who married into the Gentile clans and
tribes, are to be brought back into the family of God with those Gentiles to
form one nation and one universal kingdom -the Catholic Church. This is St.
Paul's theme in Romans chapters 9-11'that all of Israel will be restored by
bringing in the Gentile peoples into whom the lost tribes of Israel have been
scattered: "I want you to be quite certain, brothers, of this mystery, to
save you from congratulating yourselves on your own good sense: part of Israel
had its mind hardened, but only until the Gentiles have wholly come in; and
this is how all Israel will be saved." Romans 11:25-26a

Why does St. James, as the inspired writer of this letter to the
Covenant people, identify himself by the title "servant of God"? The
prophets, kings, and priests of Israel were all called "servants" of God. The
apostles certainly saw themselves as the successors to the prophets and as
God's divine order of priests of the New Covenant. However, there may be another
reason James identifies himself by this particular title. On a 1st
century AD ossuary discovered in Jerusalem the Aramaic inscription identifies
the bones of the woman interred within the ossuary as the wife and mother of
priests who were "servants" of God in their congregation/ synagogue.
Archaeologists can date this ossuary to prior to the destruction of Jerusalem
because internment of the bones of the deceased in bone boxes [after the body
was place in a tomb for a year and the flesh had fallen away from the bones
leaving the desiccated bones] was only practiced in Jerusalem from the early 1st
century AD until the destruction of the Temple in 70AD,the same period of time
James served as Bishop of the Christian community. The inscription on the woman's
ossuary is in Aramaic, the common language of 1st century Judea, and the word used to describe the priests as "servants" of God is "hazzan." This
word which was used to describe the official title of a priest serving a
congregation has been encountered in other ancient inscriptions which dated
from the fourth or early fifth century AD but this particular inscription has
provided evidence of the use of this official title for a priest leading a
faith community dating before the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in
70AD is significant. The hazzan of a Jewish congregation in the first
century was more than an ordinary priest. The hazzan served the people not
only at the time of the synagogue liturgical service as God's covenant
representative but also held the responsibility as guardian of the sacred
scrolls, principle teacher and executor of the covenant obligations of the
congregation. In Jewish synagogues today the title hazzan used
differently; it is the cantor who chants the service and leads the congregation
in prayer. Some scholars have maintained that this letter could not be from
James, Bishop of Jerusalem because he does not identify himself as the leader
of the Jerusalem faith community but by using the title "servant" the Jews and Israelites
of the Dispersion would have clearly understood that James serves as the
highest ranking New Covenant priest of the Jerusalem New Covenant community and
serves as hazzan of the Lord Jesus Christ the one mediator between man
and God! [For more information on the use of the word hazzan see
Biblical Archaeology Review, "Engraved in Memory: Diaspora Jews Find Eternal
Rest in Jerusalem", May/June 2006, pages 53-57].

James 1:2-4: The Privilege of Suffering as a Conduit
for Prayer and Spiritual Growth

As the Hazzan of the faith community in Jerusalem, St. James offers
sound and practical advice on how to live in righteousness guided by the light
of the New Covenant Law of Jesus the Messiah. His major themes will be the
righteousness of true religion, true faith, and true wisdom, and he will close
his discourse with a warning concerning the Second Advent of the Messiah at the
end of time as we know it.

James 1:2-4:"My brothers, consider it a great joy when trials of many kinds come
upon you for you well know that the testing of your faith produces
perseverance, and perseverance must complete its work so that you will become
fully developed, complete, not deficient in may way."

What a way for James to begin his address! We love to receive the
blessings of faith but all of us shrink and cringe at the prospect of
suffering! The Greek word peirasmos in this passage can be translated
either as "trial" or as "temptation." The majority of the Fathers of the
Church preferred to interpret this passage in the light of what James writes in
1:12-14 as referring to the trials a Christian must face as he makes his faith
journey through this life. James will continue with this theme in verses 12-14
where he will assure Christians "Never, when you are being put to the test,
say, 'God is temping me', God cannot be tempted by evil, and he does not put
anybody to the test." God allows trials to test us and to teach us lessons
in faith and perseverance but He does not tempt us with evil. We allow
ourselves to fall into temptation and to act upon it. The inspired writer of
the Book of Wisdom warns: "Do not court death by the errors of your ways,
nor invite destruction through the work of your hands." Wisdom 1:12.

Question: Who
is it that James addresses as his brothers in this passage?

Answer: He
is probably addressing his kinsmen and kinswomen who are Christian descendants
of Jacob/Israel. The Greek word for "brother" in the plural can mean both
"brothers" and "sisters". In this statement James offers words of consolation
to 1st century Jewish Christians who were suffering at the hands of
their Jewish countrymen who rejected the New Covenant of Jesus of Nazareth. In
many cases families were being torn asunder and New Covenant Jews were being
barred from worshipping with their kinsmen in the local synagogues. This is
not what New Covenant Jews and Israelites expected in the promised Kingdom of
the Davidic Messiah. They expected restoration and covenantal peace, instead
they experienced painful emotional disharmony and personal suffering. Was this
the bitter fruit of restoration to be expected?

Question: What
did the prophet Simeon reveal to the Virgin Mary concerning Jesus' destiny when
she brought her son to be dedicated at the Temple in Luke 2:34? What did Jesus
say about the kind of suffering that a New Covenant believer would have to
endure for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven on earth? See Matthew 10:17-25;
34-36.

Answer: Simeon
prophesized in Luke 2:34: "Look, he is destined for the fall and for the
rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed..."; andJesus
in Matthew chapter 10 Jesus warned that families would be divided between those
who came to accept Him as the Messiah and those who rejected Him. Jesus'
mission was to prepare the New Israel, the Church, to fulfill the destiny of
the Old Israel which was to being salvation to the Gentile nations. Fulfilling
this mission was to bring hostility and persecution from His own people upon
Him and His followers.

Question: What
promise did God make to those who lived lives of holiness in the Old Covenant?
What promise does Jesus make in His Sermon on the Mount to those who suffer
trials but persevere in holiness that is similar to James' call for rejoicing
in times of trials and suffering? See the Old Testament book of Wisdom,
chapter 3 and verses 1, 5, and 6 and Matthew 5:11-12.

Answer:

·Old Testament: "But the souls
of the upright are in the hands of God, and no torment can touch them. [...].
God was putting them to the test and has proved them worthy to be with him; he
has tested them like gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a perfect burnt
offering." Wisdom 3:1, 5-6

·Jesus' Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed
are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny
against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be
great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you." The
Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:11-12

Throughout his letter James will place Old Covenant teaching within the
context of the New Covenant Law of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament passage
the inspired writer teaches that when the righteous suffer for the sake of
faith they offer their sufferings as a sacrifice acceptable to God. In the New
Covenant we also yield our lives to God, living in imitation of Christ and
offering ourselves as living sacrifices when we suffer persecution for the sake
of the Kingdom of God.

Question: Did
Jesus come to establish peace and harmony? If so why have Christians
suffered? What additional assurance did Jesus give to Christians who face
suffering for His sake? Please read Matthew 10:28-33, 40-42.

Answer:
Jesus' mission was to offer the gift of eternal salvation and to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth through His perfect sacrifice and His resurrection to new life,
which he transmits to the believer through the supernatural power of baptismal
grace by water and the Spirit. Since the choice is clear that one must either
accept or reject Christ, His first Advent led to division. But He did promise
a gift that far transcends any suffering we may have to endure temporally
because His gift of grace is eternal salvation. But to claim that gift we must
acknowledge belief in Him before men and He will acknowledge us before the
great judgment seat of God in heaven.

Question: How
did James' words which promise victory in the midst of suffering give hope to
the Jewish-Christians who received his message? What was happening to St. Paul and other Jewish Christians when they tried to share the Gospel of salvation with
Jews in the Diaspora? See Acts 13:50-51; 14:4-5; 17:5-9; 18:12-17.

Answer: Some
Jews openly accepted the message of the risen Messiah but others were violently
opposed to the New Covenant teachings. In many towns and villages New Covenant
Jewish believers were being beaten, excommunicated from the local Synagogues
and rejected by their families. In many cases local Synagogues were formed
around certain trades or guilds so this separation was not only emotionally
wrenching but was economically disastrous for Jewish Christian families.

James will elaborate on this theme of perseverance in times of trial in
James 1:12-15, but here he introduces the concept that although we have been
reborn into the family of God we are not yet fully developed in our spiritual
life. This is an important teaching. Sometimes crisis for the Christian is
not so much from a lack of faith as from a misunderstanding of expectations. St. John the Baptist, suffered in his dungeon of doubt formed not by the walls of Herod
Antipas' prison but by his misunderstanding of the scope of God's plan. John
sent emissaries to Jesus asking in essence, "Did I get it wrong; are you really
who I though you were?"John was experiencing a crisis of expectation
not a crisis of belief in God [see Matthew 11:1-5]. And perhaps Simon-Peter's
crisis the night Jesus was arrested was more a crisis of expectation than a
crisis of faith [John 18:10-11; 25-27] ' after all why would God allow lowly
humans to so abuse and revile Him? James wants his kinsmen in the New Covenant
to understand that this is part of the process of our journey to salvation that
we need to be trained by our Father through trial and suffering to grow in
faith and righteousness.

Question: It
seems a paradox that trial and suffering could be good for us. James even goes
so far as to say that Christians should rejoice in their trials. Why? Hint:
see what St. Peter and St. Paul taught about trials in 1 Peter 1:6-7; Romans 5:3-5;
Colossians 1:24.

Answer:

·St. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:6-7 that trials strengthen and refine our
faith: "This is a great joy to you, even though for a short time yet you
must bear all sorts of trials; so that the worth of your faith, more valuable
than gold, which is perishable even if it has been tested by fire, may be
proved, to your praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

·St. Paul teaches in Romans 5:3-5: "Not
only that; let us exult, too, in our hardships, understanding that hardship
develops perseverance, and perseverance develops a tested character, something
that gives us hope, and a hope which will not let us down, because the love of
God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to
us." Paul's point is that trials are meant to help Christians "toughen up"
and develop the virtue of perseverance which will develop character and a good
character rooted in divine grace preserves us from sin, strengthens our faith,
and faith gives us hope.

·In Colossians 1:24 Paul writes: "It
makes me happy to be suffering for you now, and in my own body to make up all
the hardships that sill have to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his
body, the Church of which I was made a servant with the responsibility towards
you that God gave to me...". Paul is admonishing us that Jesus suffered in
order to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and anyone who is willing to
continue this work must share this suffering. Paul is therefore happy to
associate himself with the trials of Jesus through his suffering in his
apostolate, living in imitation of Christ.

The sacrifice of the suffering of God's servants is the way in which
God has always intended the Church to grow and develop. This is part of what
has been prophesized in the Messianic era:

vMatthew 24:4-8: "And Jesus answered them, 'Take
care that no one deceives you, because many will come using my name and saying,
'I Am the Christ,' and they will deceive many. You will hear of wars and
rumors of wars; se that you are not alarmed for this is something that must
happen, but the end will not be yet. For nation will fight against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various
places. All this is only the beginning of the birth pangs."

vActs 14:21-22: "Having preached the good news
(gospel) in that town and made a considerable number of disciples, they went
back through Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. They put fresh heart into the
disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith, saying, 'We must all
experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of God.'"

v1 Timothy 4:1-2: "The Spirit has explicitly said
that during the last times some will desert the faith and pay attention to
deceitful spirits and doctrines that come from devils, seduced by the hypocrisy
of liars whose consciences are branded as though with a red-hot iron..."

Our suffering united to Christ gives us the compassion and humility we
need to build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth despite hardships and sufferings
and to prepare us for the time of His promised Second Advent, which like the
pangs of childbirth, will also be times of trial and tribulation but which will
yield "new life".

In 1 Corinthians 3:9 St. Paul writes, "After all, we do share in
God's work; you are God's farm (laborers), God's building," and in
Romans 8:17 Paul writes, "And if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs
of God and joint-heirs with Christ, provided that we share his suffering, so
as to share his glory." Let those words sink in, we share in His glory IF
we allow ourselves to share in His suffering! To share in the work of the
Father and to inherit the glory He has promised us God has provided a unique
way for us to experience the work of Christ when in our suffering we offer up
and unite our earthly sufferings to the suffering of Jesus Christ. Jesus
created for us a space in His own suffering for us to join Him and in that
sacrifice of our suffering to be purified and refined in our spiritual
condition. Suffering and trials offered up to Christ yields compassion and
humility, enabling us to be prepared to let the works of God flow through us.
It is in this way that we become useful tools in the hands of the Master so
that, as St. James assures us, "perseverance must complete our work so
that you will become fully developed, complete, not deficient in any way."

Question: What
does James mean when he refers to the necessity of "our work" being completed
in James 1:4?

Answer: It
has always been a consistent teaching in sacred Scripture that faith must be
perfected in deeds'in the Old Covenant and in the New. This teaching is
James' central theme, and he will more fully develop it in chapter 2. St. Paul was also consistent in this teaching. In 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Paul wrote to the
faith community in Thessalonica: "We remember before our God and Father how
active is the faith, how unsparing the love, how persevering the hope which
you have from our Lord Jesus Christ."

Answer: To
take up our cross and to follow Him. St. Rose of Lima understood what Jesus
asks of us in uniting our love and suffering with His, and what Paul was
teaching in Romans 8:17 when she wrote "the cross is the only ladder to
heaven!"

Question: When
we ask to be relieved of the burden of suffering does Jesus always comply with
our petition? Why not? Read St. Paul's account of personal suffering and his
petition to be released from his burden in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Answer: Three
times St. Paul pleaded to be healed but God denied his request as He will
sometime deny our petitions.

·1 Corinthians 10:13: None of
the trials which have come upon you is more than a human being can stand. You
can trust that God will not let you be put to the test beyond your strength,
but with any trial will also provide a way out by enabling you to put up with
it."

·2 Corinthian 12:9-10: "...but he
has answered me, 'My grace is enough for you: for power is at full stretch in
weakness.' It is then, about my weaknesses that I am happiest of all to boast,
so that the power of Christ may rest upon me; and that is why I am glad of
weaknesses, insults, constraints, persecutions and distress for Christ's sake.
For it is when I am weak that I am strong."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] # 2015 teaches: "The
way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness
without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the
ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of
the Beatitudes..." Accepting trial and suffering becomes for the Christian,
who offers his or her suffering up as a sacrifice to God, a participation in
Jesus' work of salvation [see CCC # 307; 618; 1508, 1521; Romans 14:8; 1
Corinthians 6:20; 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:5; Colossians 1:24; 1 Peter 2:21].

"Any of you who lacks wisdom must ask God, who gives to
all generously and without scolding; it will be given. But the prayer must be
made with faith, and no trace of doubt, because a person who has doubts is like
the waves thrown up in the sea by the buffeting of the wind. That sort of
person, in two minds, inconsistent in every activity, must not expect to
receive anything from the Lord."

James speaks of wisdom. Webster's dictionary (1969) defines "wisdom"
as "The quality of being wise; the power or faculty of forming the fittest
and best judgment in any mater presented for consideration; sound judgment and
sagacity; prudence; discretion; right judgment concerning religious and moral
truth; godliness."

Answer: Christian
wisdom is not found in human understanding; it is found in Christ, a member of
the human race through His mother, but in being fully God as well as fully man
it is His divinity which imparts wisdom to mankind. His wisdom imparted to man
is of eternal salvation, saving justice, sanctification and redemption. Wisdom
is a gift of the Holy Spirit and to live in wisdom is to live in union with the
will of God.

Question: What
does St. Paul teach about the value of true wisdom as opposed to false wisdom
in 1 Corinthians 1:17-31?

Answer: Quoting from Psalm 33:10 and Isaiah 29:14, Paul
condemns arrogant wisdom which is praised by man and extols the wisdom of God
which is a gift of God and brings knowledge of God. It is through the works of
God that He makes His wisdom known especially through the work of the cross of
Jesus Christ which goes against the expectations of both Jews and Gentiles.
But to those of faith who have genuine knowledge of God the cross the climax
and overflow of expectations because the cross is the apex of the power and
wisdom of God. Christian wisdom is not the fruit of human knowledge. True
knowledge is found in a member of the human race through the Woman promised in
Genesis 3:15, the Virgin Mary, and because of her "yes" and submission to the
wisdom of God Jesus Christ, God Incarnate came upon the state of human
history. It is in Him that we find all the true treasures of wisdom and
knowledge [see Colossians 2:3] and the wisdom that flows from the blood of the
Eucharist, foolishness to some but true wisdom to others is a wisdom that
saturates all humanity with the gift of justification, sanctification,
redemption and eternal life.

Question: Was
this revelation of true wisdom found in the knowledge of God available to the
people of the Old Covenant as well as for those who lived in and after the age
of the Messiah? If you reject the wisdom of God what is the result?

·Wisdom 13:1-9: "Yes naturally
stupid are all who are unaware of God, and who, from good things seen, have not
been able to discover Him-who-is, or, by studying the works, have not recognized
the Artificer. Fire, however, or wind, or the swift air, the sphere of the stars,
impetuous water, heaven's lamps, are what they have held to be the gods who
govern the world. If, charmed by their beauty, they have taken these for gods,
let them know how much the Master of these excels, them, since it was the very
source of beauty that created them. And if they have been impressed by their
power and energy, le them deduce from these who much mightier is he that has
formed them, since through the grandeur and beauty of the creatures we may, by
analogy, contemplate their Author. Small blame, however, attaches to them, for
perhaps they go astray only in their search for God and their eagerness to find
him; familiar with his works, they investigate them and fall victim to
appearances, seeing so much beauty. But even so, they have no excuse: if they
are capable of acquiring enough knowledge to be able to investigate the world,
how have they been so slow to find its Master?"

·Romans 1:18-23: "The
retribution of God from heaven is being revealed against the ungodliness and
injustice of human beings who in their injustice hold back the truth. For what
can be known about God is perfectly plain to them, since God has made it plain
to them: ever since the creation of the world, the invisible existence of God
and his everlasting power have been clearly seen by the mind's understanding of
created things. And so these people have no excuse: they knew God and yet they
did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but their arguments became
futile and their uncomprehending minds were darkened. While they claimed to be
wise, in fact they were growing so stupid that they exchanged the glory of the
immortal God for an imitation, for the image of a mortal human being, or of
birds, or animals, or crawling things."

Answer: The
beauty of creation is there to draw man to seek the truth of God, and the
beauty and spectacle of nature is intended to raise the human spirit seek
knowledge of God. However, if one doesn't seek genuine wisdom through the
knowledge of God one will end up creating one's own god and one's own perverted
wisdom, whether it is an idol or money or some other earthly, temporal passion.
The human longing for God is there deeply imbedded in the soul and must be
satisfied in the wisdom of knowing the true God or in unfulfilled and unsatisfied
searching. For those of the modern age secularism, self-absorption,
self-fulfillment and the worship of science seem to have become the false gods
of this era.

Question: Is
wisdom a gift given only once that never needs to be replenished? In 1 Kings
3:5 young King Solomon was told he could make a petition of God and it would be
granted to him. He asked for and received divine wisdom [see the spirit of
Solomon's prayer for wisdom in Wisdom 9:1-18]. Was Solomon forever wise?

Answer: No.
He began his reign depending on the wisdom of God but later he came to depend
on his own "wisdom" which proved to be folly. He broke every limitation Yahweh
had placed on the monarchy and his ambition proved to be ruinous for the Kingdom of Israel, which broke apart into 2 kingdoms after his death. See Deuteronomy
17:14-20 for the "Law of Kings" and 1 Kings 5:6; 10:14, 21, 26-29 for Solomon's
failure to keep the Kings Law.

Wisdom is a gift from God and James gives assurance that God in His
goodness desires to grant our petitions. In this he echoes Jesus' teaching
from the Sermon on the Mount, and as his address continues James will return
again and again to that significant teaching on the New Covenant Law and apply
it to the Old Covenant teachings with which the Jews are familiar. In Matthew
7:7-8 Jesus promised God's generous response to our prayers when He said: "Ask,
and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door
will be opened to you. Everyone who seeks receives; everyone who searches finds;
everyone who knocks will have the door opened."

Question: But
what condition does James say must accompany the petition for divine wisdom in
James 1:6?

Answer: Prayer
grounded in faith.

Question: Why
does James say that a person with doubts will fail in his petition?

Answer: One
who prays doubting God is one who possesses a divided heart.

Anyone who has a divided heart and is not fully
committed to loving and serving God in works of faith will be easily influenced
by the world and its values, tossed about like the waves and pulled between God
and the ways of the world. Such a person stands upon a precipice between
heaven and destruction and such a person must get right with God before the
gift of wisdom can be given or the gift will be abused and discarded.

Question: If
true wisdom comes from knowledge of God, what does it mean to "know" God
according to sacred Scripture?

Answer: Knowledge
of God is the intimate relationship with the Most Holy Trinity through the
covenant He has formed with His holy people. True wisdom is the knowledge of
the will of God for one's life and that knowledge can never contradict the
moral and spiritual laws of that divine covenant. It is the Church who defines
the covenant duties, obligations, and blessings of God's people. One who lacks
covenant knowledge of God cannot make wise choices and can not possess wisdom
as defined in divine terms. St. James will return to a discussion of true
wisdom in chapter 3.

"Yahweh says this, 'Let
the sage not boast of wisdom, nor the valiant of valor, nor the wealthy of
riches! But let anyone who wants to boast, boast of this: of understanding and
knowing me. For I am Yahweh, who acts with faithful love, justice, and
uprightness on earth; yes, these are what please me, Yahweh declares." Jeremiah 9:22-23

James 1:9:"It is right that the brother in humble circumstances
should glory in being lifted up, and the rich in being brought low."

Death is the great leveler of humanity. Accumulated wealth cannot
accompany us to the afterlife as the plundering of the wealth of the tombs of
ancient kings has proven. Justice may not be found in this life but God has
promised us justice in the next.

Question: What
did Jesus Ben Sirach, the Old Testament inspired writer of Ecclesiasticus write
concerning God's promise of eternal justice in Ecclesiasticus 11:22-28? What
is it that determines whether one was successful in one's life?

Answer: The
test as to whether our earthly lives were a success of a failure will be
determined before the judgment seat of God at the end of our lives.

Question: How
did Jesus address this same question in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew
6:19-20 and how did Paul describe the indestructible quality of good works in 1
Corinthians 3:10-15? Is there treasure that will be awarded to our account
beyond the grave?

Answer: Earthly
treasures are perishable but heavenly treasures, the acts of mercy we perform in
the name of Christ are eternal. These works of mercy and love are the gold and
silver that are not burned up but count as heavenly rewards.

James
1:10-11: For the rich will last no longer than the wild flower; the
scorching sun comes up, and the grass withers, its flower falls, its beauty is
lost. It is the same with the rich: in the middle of a busy life, the rich
will wither."

St. James is drawing his teaching from the work of the 8th
century BC prophet Isaiah in the section of Isaiah known as The Book of the
consolation of Israel. In the prediction of the deliverance of God's people
Yahweh tells Isaiah in 40:6-8: "A voice said, 'Cry aloud!' And I said,
"What shall I cry? All humanity is grass and all its beauty like the wild
flower's. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of Yahweh blows
on them. The grass is surely the people. The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God remains for ever." James, like the prophet Isaiah
warns that man is subject to death so his temporal, earthly glory like the wild
flower's is short lived and fleeting.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus called His Apostles and disciples to
come up the holy mountain to hear the New Covenant Law of love and justice
[Matthew 5:1; Luke 6:12-16]. After the teaching Jesus descended on to the
plain where He taught the common men and women who were struggling to survive
in a hostile and uncaring world [Luke 6:17]. In the Sermon on the Plain Jesus
addresses the unjust conditions of the poor by pronouncing 4 blessings for the
humble followed by 4 curses addressed to the rich.

Question: Why
does Jesus curse the rich?

Answer: Every
earthly blessing is a gift from God; this includes one's wealth. It is
therefore the obligation of the wealthy to allow the blessing God has given to
them to be shared with those who are not so fortunate. The poor are a blessing
to the rich because they give the rich the opportunity to let the works of God
work through them. To horde wealth and to withhold God's gifts from the less
fortunate, is a sin for which the wealthy will be held accountable. Read the
parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man in Luke 16:19-31 in which the poor Lazarus
is gathered to the abode of the grace for the righteous dead, while the selfish
rich man is made accountable for his sins. Also see CCC # 633 concerning the
rich man's fate].

In this passage St. James combines the teaching of the Old Testament
prophets with Jesus' teachings concerning the perishable quality of earthly
wealth and the obligation of the rich to be a tool of God's mercy to the poor.
It was the teaching of the Old Testament inspired prophets and of Jesus the
Messiah that the rich must humble themselves and be generous to the poor if
they desire to share in the exaltation of the poor when God makes justice reign
[see 1 Samuel 2:7-8; Psalms 72:4, 12; 113:7-9; Zephaniah 2:3; Matthew 19:21;
26:11; Mark 10:21; Luke 14:13-21; 18:14, 22, 28-30]!

Answer: He
told them "In truth I tell you, it is hard for someone rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye
of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven." By the
world's standard of wealthy those of us who live in a western democracy are
very wealthy and this statement should make us uncomfortable. If your excuse
for not giving to the poor is that you can't afford to give you must come to
terms with the fact that you cannot afford not to give! Jesus is probably not
speaking of a camel literally passing through the eye of a needle but the
reality of his analogy may be just as difficult. Jesus was speaking to Galilean
fisherman. The thick ropes that secured the ships to the dock were made of
camel's hair which did not rot after long exposure to the waters of the Sea of Galilee. The robes were called "camels" and it would be impossible for such a
thickly twisted rope to pass through the eye of a needle used for making the
fishing nets. However, Jesus does offer a ray of hope to the "rich" at the
end of the Matthew 19 passage.

Question: In
response to the disciples astonished response: "Who can be saved, then?"
in verse 25, what does Jesus reply?

Answer: "By
human resources,' he told them, 'this is impossible; for God everything is possible.'" The next time you think you cannot donate to the
relief of natural disaster victims or that money is too tight to give to "Food
for the Poor", or another charitably organization give, and give from the heart
with gratitude for the blessings God has give to you. And when you give say to
yourself, "With God nothing is impossible and I have just passed through the
eye of the needle!"

Praise of the Upright

"How blessed is anyone
who fears Yahweh, who delights in his commandments! His descendants shall be
powerful on earth, the race of the honest shall receive blessings: Riches and
wealth for his family; his uprightness stands firm for ever, for the honest he
shines as a lamp in the dark, generous, tender-hearted, and upright. All goes
well for one who lends generously, who is honest in all his dealing; for all
time to come he will not stumble, for all time to come the upright will be
remembered. [...]. To the needy he gives without stint, his uprightness stands
firm for ever; his reputation is founded on strength." Psalm 112:1-6, 9

Questions for group discussion:

Question: If
wisdom is defined as knowledge of God which allows one to discern the will of
God for one's life how can one discern what action to take in any given
circumstance based on this definition? What is a good starting point? And if
the righteous decision is difficult and painful, or even brings loss and
sacrifice, what does God promise through his apostle St. Paul in Romans
8:28-30? Can you share some examples of making difficult decisions based upon
the wisdom of God? Is a "cafeteria Catholic" a participator in the divine life
of the Trinity or only a part time companion with a divided heart?

Question: The Old Testament Books of Psalms and
Proverbs provide insight for those who seek wisdom and knowledge of God:

"The root of wisdom is fear of Yahweh; those who attain
it are wise. His praise will continue for ever." Psalm 110:10

"The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;
fools spurn wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:7

What kind of "fear" is the inspired writer referring to concerning our
relationship with God? Is there such a thing as "healthy fear"? Did you know
that the word "discipline" means "to teach"? What do Psalms 94:12 and Proverbs
3:11 teach concerning the Lord's discipline? What happens when the Lord ceases
to "discipline" someone? When someone finds that his sins are always
discovered, and he cannot hide from his wrong doing, is that person blessed or
cursed?